Clean Your Makeup Brushes – Naturally

Right now, I’m going through a stage in my life where I’m removing a lot of stuff from other stuff. Like my belongings from my closet, my butt from my couch, and my brain from the soggy ditch it’s been in.

Originally, this post was going to be the last post on Crunchy Betty until the middle of next week – when hopefully I’ll be tucked in neatly to a new, fabulous place and all the rigors of moving a household is over and done with.

Good news, everyone! This post (originally titled “How to Remove Stuff from Other Stuff”) is now TWO posts, because the original was long enough to fill my new bathtub, which is enormous compared to the ice cube tray square I used to bathe in.

So after tomorrow’s post, where I”ll show you how to remove even more things from things, Crunchy Betty is taking (an actual announced and planned) break for the next 5-6 days. Unless someone wants to send me a mind-blowing guest post to fill in the tiny gap.

Now that you know all of this … how about I show you how to clean your makeup brushes – naturally? YAY!

How to Clean Your Makeup Brushes – Naturally

Did you know that 65.8% of you never clean your makeup brushes? This is a statistic I found in my brain, where I make things up that sound authoritative. But I bet I’m not far off.

It’s okay. Until I discovered this method of brush-cleaning, I never cleaned mine either.

Why would you want to? You’re just going to get them dirty again right away. Right? (That’s how I look at my kitchen sometimes …)

You need to clean your makeup brushes in order to get rid of ALL of the dirt, dead skin cells, and bacteria that accumulate on them after regular use. This is especially important for those of you who have oily skin or acne. Keep those brushes clean, or suffer the pimply consequences.

Fortunately, it’s really, really easy to clean them – and it is taking you longer to read this post than it will take you to actually do it. So no excuses. What are you waiting for?

Cleaning Your Makeup Brushes Naturally – Step One

First, before you get started, you’ll want to gather everything you need.

The first thing you’re going to work with is the olive oil. Pour a tiny bit onto your washcloth (or paper towel) – no more than half a teaspoon should do it.

You’re doing this to “preclean” the brush, but also to condition the fibers on the bristles. This step isn’t quite as necessary if you use synthetic makeup brushes, but it’s still fun. So do it anyway!

All you do is just dab the bristles into the olive oil and then swipe the brush (pressing gently) on your towel several times – mainly until you feel like it’s mostly clean. (By the way, it is not. Not yet. No matter how clean it looks).

Throughout your makeup brush washing experience, try to avoid the “stem” where the bristles are attached to the brush handle. It’s not a huge deal if you get water up in there, but try to avoid it as much as possible, as too much exposure to the cleaners might loosen the bristles from the attachment, which is probably glue.

Step 2: Mix Together Warm Water and Castile Soap In a Small Bowl, and Wash Your Makeup Brush In It

Most other makeup brush cleaning tutorials suggest you use baby shampoo to wash your makeup brushes, but I’m going to guess very few of you actually have baby shampoo in your house. If you do, you can use it, but castille is far superior (mainly for it’s totally natural state).

Just pour about a teaspoon of liquid castille into a small bowl and add a bit of warm water.

Rub your fingers around in the bristles (remember, try to avoid the “stem”) while holding the brush in the soapy water. Squeeze it out and do this a few times.

Soon, your water will be full of somewhat icky color, which will teach you to think that using olive oil alone was enough to clean your brushes.

Once you feel like you’ve gotten all of the makeup out of your brush, you can move on to the next step.

Step 3: Dip Your Makeup Brush in Vinegar and Then Rinse Well With Hot Water

This vinegar step is optional, but I like to do it this way because it really makes sure all of the olive oil is out of your brush, as well as super cleaning, and super antibacterializing, the bristles.

If, for some reason, you don’t have distilled vinegar, you can skip that part and move straight on to rinsing.

As you dip it in the vinegar, squeeze it out a couple of times just to make sure all the makeup is out of the brush. You’ll be able to tell by the clarity of the vinegar in the bowl. Even if there’s a little left, it’s okay, because you’re about to rinse it in hot water.

Just hold the brush under the running water for a few seconds, squeeze, rinse again – and repeat if you enjoy what you’re doing. Otherwise, just turn off the faucet. No one will know.

Then dry it a bit on a clean towel and shape it back into the makeup brush shape of your choice.

Let that baby air dry for a while, and you have a fresh, clean makeup brush.

And it will look something like this:

Done! Pretty and clean and oh-so ready to get dirty again. Naughty brush.

Now Be Honest …

… how often do YOU clean your makeup brushes?

If your answer is “often,” you get a fancy trophy that exists only in your imagination. But you should also share YOUR favorite technique for washing your makeup brushes.

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89 Responses to “Clean Your Makeup Brushes – Naturally”

Comments

I’m fairly good about cleaning my makeup brushes, especially as I use a lot of metallic eyeshaows and that glittery stuff gets everywhere and ruins the colours when you try to put them on. I tend to just use some normal soap and hot water though, seems to do the trick for me :)

Oh thank you thank you thank you! I used to clean my brushes (which look suspiciously exactly like yours ;) sporadically with just warm water, then bought a cleanser specifically for those brushes by the same brand, and holy batman, it’s friggin’ expensive! I’m so happy to know of this method instead. I already bought castille soap for a separate cause and I’m giddy to learn of other things I can use it for. Thanks again!

I DO wash my makeup brushes often; at least once a month. *accepting her fancy trophy with a big grin* :) Mostly because I’m kind of a clean freak, especially when it comes to things on my body/face, and they get pretty gunky and not as affective. I just get the brush wet with cold water and use a tiny dab of shampoo and work it in, then rinse it out until I don’t see anymore makeup. It does the job, makes them smell nice, and they’re super soft! I will be trying your idea, though, too; it sounds more thorough. Thanks for all your awesome advice; I’ve definitely started to cut back on commercial products!

i have a trick i use for when you need to use your brush quicker then it takes to air dry. i get an old pillow case and toss the brushes in. tie off the end and place it in my dryer on low heat for a few mins.

i clean my brushes every two weeks. i would do it every week, but i barely want to wash my face and turn the lights out at the end of the night. i just use whatever shampoo i have in the shower. i figured, why not wash hair with shampoo eh? maybe i am misguided, i did lack a mother figure growing up, and learned any beauty knowledge from seventeen magazine and the cool girls ditching school in the park in high school. these days, with the ascension/revolution of social consciousness upon us, i tend to use only natural, mostly homemade, products. i love you Crunchy Betty!!! just did my bi-weekly spring cleaning facial again. :)

The whole point of this article is to preserve your face by being being very careful with what we put on it and how it’s applied. You’ll end up having to spend more money in the long run, buying more makeup to try to cover up a terrible complexion due to application with cheap brushes and toxic, shitty makeup.

Quick and easy solution. I just cleaned them and it did not take that long. I did not realize how much accumulates on the brush which I noticed as soon as I used the olive oil. Did not have any liquid castille soap so I used Paul Mitchell’s Baby Don’t Cry which should work just fine. I love your blog!

Thanks.. this is super helpful! I just bought my first set of makeup brushes EVER (amazing, right?) 1 week ago, and cleaned them for the first time last night… because the paper they came with said to clean them once a week. :) So at this point in time, I clean them very often! LOL. I will buy some castille soap for next time, tho!

I never liked the daily cleansing sprays that some people use…always left my brushes feeling filmy. A good cleansing (especially on foundation and concealer brushes) weekly is a practice I feel more people should adopt. I used to teach my clients to clean them after they finished their make-up on the same day each week and they’ll be dry by the next morning. One trick that I found effective for removing foundation and lipstick more easily from brushes was to draw them across a bar of soap and gently work the bristles in your hand with a bit of water then rinse real well. I have seen lipstick brushes return to their original shades with no trace of lipstick left.

i wash my brushes often but im not as nice to them as you are lol. Im a rinse, soap and water, then rinse again girl. i wash it all handle to bristles the vinegar is a nice touch though i think i’ll add that. easy enough and i have it on hand. thanks!

I used to work at a makeup counter and I had a customer come in and buy a new foundation brush and a few other things that she needed. When the transaction was over, I handed her her receipt and she handed me a dirty foundation brush…. Can you throw this away? I was shocked, it looked fairly new, just dirty and in need of a good cleansing. Before, I could get the words out she was gone, I didn’t have the chance to explain to her that she could wash her brush and save that $35 she just spent on that new brush. It amazes me that people don’t know they can wash their makeup brushes. I just bought this soap and I am finding so many uses for it. I will definately be investing in the gallon size, it will be worth it and so much more. Thanks for sharing the use of it as a brush cleaner :)

Just tried this today and it was AMAZING! My brushes look absolutely beautiful now. I’m in love with this technique! I have an embarrassing confession… before today I’d never cleaned my makeup brushes! I rarely wear makeup, and I didn’t really think about it until I noticed how gunky and gross they looked. I looked up a bunch of different techniques online, but this was the only one that was all natural and used things I already had in the house! It worked like a charm. Will definitely be using this technique again and cleaning my brushes more often!

I use the e.l.f. Daily Brush Cleaner on my brushes after I use them each day, then “deep clean” them every few weeks. I learned the trick you mentioned with olive oil only a few years ago and holy cow, it makes a difference! Instead of soap or shampoo I’ve always used my face cleanser (hey, it takes the makeup off of my face, right?) and that seems to really shed the junk and oil. I love your suggestion of a vinegar wash at the end – I’m definitely going to add that step! Thanks!

Abrasive Wheel Brush : It is used for removing coatings and
also for preparing surfaces. Many people prefer synthetic brushes because they’re animal friendly,
while others prefer natural brushes because they last
much longer. Only apply shimmer in certain
areas and merely in places your location sure it will probably be hit
by light.

A typical cleaning procedure should go something
like this: take water in a bucket, add X amount of reagent Y to this, put in a clean towel, wring it dry, and mop the floor with it.
Damp mopping is OK as long as the mop is only slightly damp.
These brooms have soft cloth-like material that pulls microscopic dust and other debris up
off of the floor.

This method worked great. As soon as i read it i started the process. I had everything in my kitchen. This method is so natural and beneficial in so many ways. Castile Soap and Vinegar is a great natural remedy. My brushes are really clean. I must admit i was not washing my brushes often… :-( But after reading this i was amazed. I am going to stop being lazy and clean my brushes every week. You guys should try it. They don’t have a Smell. Smells nice and clean and feel soft.Thanks for this great tip….

I use my facial cleansing oil to clean my brushes weekly. It gets all the makeup out if your brushes and doesn’t leave any residue behind. Love your tips, must try the vinegar rinse! But does the vinegar leave your brushes smelling like it after?

This is amazing! I shamefully admit that I don’t wash my brushes anywhere NEAR as often as I should… but I’m currently on a mission to clear up my acne-prone skin (which annoyingly only started breaking out after I turned 19!). This is such a quick and easy method – and SO EFFECTIVE.
I am definitely going to do this at least once a week, if not more often. Thanks so much!! I love this blog.

Love these tips, thanks for sharing! I cleaned out my brushes after reading this and will now be cleaning them MUCH more often because they look so amazing. I used coconut oil instead of olive as in the past I’ve found it to be an effective makeup remover — now my brushes are super clean and smell vaguely coconutty, which makes me happy. :)

[…] It’s also important to clean your makeup brushes fairly frequently to remove dirt and bacteria. Cleaning your brushes doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, Crunchy Betty tells you exactly how to clean your brushes with only natural ingredients like extra virgin olive oil, castile soap, and white vinegar. You can get all the details here. […]

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